SPM 4.4

“I’m going to exercise like you from now on.”

Ian declared while driving his car according to the green signal. They were on their way to work together at Wolves headquarters as they always did lately.

Was it because they ran through the park together as a walk yesterday? Good heavens, mornings couldn’t be more refreshing than this. Looking in the mirror, his skin was somehow smooth and sleek like a peeled egg, fully enjoying the effects of exercise and good sleep.

And since Dr. Olsen had also advised that if he relaxed his mind and lived healthily, his pheromones would return to their original state, his determination became even more solid.

“What do you want to do exactly?”

Terrence glanced sideways with an expression that seemed to say surely he wasn’t planning to follow his exercise routine…

Leaving him with that look, Ian’s eyes sparkled as he chattered excitedly.

“Terry, listen carefully? I’m going to start coming to work an hour early from now on. You know there’s a gym at headquarters that organization staff can use, not just the one for players. I think it would be perfect if I exercise there, shower, then go into the office.”

“Sounds good. Let’s go together.”

But as soon as he heard the answer, he immediately realized the reality.

“Oh no… Terry, you’d be tired. I could just do it alone… You’re already coming out early because of me, I wasn’t thinking. You need to sleep more once the season starts.”

Since Ian hadn’t thought that Terrence would want to tag along like a tail to his schedule again, he hurriedly backtracked.

Watching Ian frantically trying to take back his words like someone who suddenly makes a U-turn while speeding, Terrence chuckled.

“What do you mean it’s fine. I said it’s okay.”

“No, no… Come to think of it, I was being too much.”

“I usually wake up even earlier than now. I normally come out early too. Did you forget everything from the old days?”

Come to think of it, even in high school, going to school together from dawn to match Terrence’s morning training time was routine. Ian vigorously nodded with the feeling of slapping his forehead. It meant he remembered.

“Right now I’m coming out at this time because I eat breakfast with you and commute together, but originally my day starts earlier.”

“I’m really sorry about that…”

When Ian grinned sheepishly, Terrence patted his shoulder.

“Isn’t it fun to think of all this as a process of adjusting to each other? I think so.”

“……”

“We can just flexibly adjust our schedules as we go along in whatever way works best for you and me. There’s nothing to be sorry about and nothing to stress over, so speak comfortably. I like being like this with you. I’m satisfied with everything.”

Hearing that sharing such concerns felt like a real married couple, like they were forming a real partnership, and that he found every bit of it enjoyable, Ian’s heart swelled.

Does Terrence know that he’s always putting his mind at ease with such magical words?

For Ian, who had always been busy observing his surroundings and trying to fit in, this was an unfamiliar situation, but everything Terrence said was right from start to finish. Isn’t this exactly the process for two people to be together? Ian decided to broaden his shoulders a bit more.

When Ian straightened his back courageously like a child receiving praise at Terrence’s words, a large hand gently patted his knee.

“Anyway, deciding to exercise is a good idea. I was actually planning to recommend it soon, so I’m happy that you made up your mind yourself.”

“Hahaha.”

I got praised. Even while Ian smiled foolishly like an idiot, he cleared his throat and turned the steering wheel properly.

“From now on, if we wake up an hour earlier, get ready and leave right away, it’ll be perfect. Oh, I’ll supervise your exercise.”

“What?”

However, thanks to that final declaration, he almost slammed on the brakes hard.

When Ian looked to the side with wide eyes in surprise, Terrence pressed his head to turn it forward, telling him to watch the road and drive.

“Why are you surprised? I always supervised your basketball and tennis in the old days. Who knows your body as well as I do?”

Knows his body well. Somehow the depth of that knowledge didn’t seem to be simply related to stamina or physical condition but sounded lewdly different… was that just his imagination?

Well, it was true that he knew Ian’s body better than anyone in the world, even to the most intimate places, but somehow Ian didn’t feel like it and unconsciously squinted his eyes.

“Mmmmm…”

“Thinking about exercising together brings back old memories and feels nice.”

He couldn’t tell that smiling face that he didn’t really like the idea. However, knowing from experience how intensely he would make him exercise, just thinking about it made him want to cry. He’d probably cry during exercise too. Those things that one couldn’t tell whether they were sweat or tears…

Unaware that Ian had suddenly become gloomy, Terrence continued speaking in a slightly excited voice.

“Ian, you’ve lost too much muscle now. You really need to exercise.”

At the promise that he wouldn’t be called a paper doll anymore, Ian couldn’t hide his regret at making an unnecessary suggestion. It was a commute of tears where he wanted to cry but couldn’t.

He’d definitely get healthy as hell. That alone was a consolation.

Time at the desk passed quickly like a galloping horse.

After the draft ended and players started coming in and out of headquarters again, the organization began to bustle, and the front office also started getting busy preparing for the new season in earnest.

Watching the operations team burning with work, Toby, Ian’s direct supervisor, clicked his tongue.

“That side is going to get incredibly busy because of the new rookies coming in…”

When Toby gestured toward the operations team office, Ian also stood up and glanced over there. He could see an employee working with a sandwich in their mouth, apparently not having time to eat during lunch.

“I guess it’s because rookie camp is starting soon.”

He had heard about rookie camp from Terrence that morning. Along with the comment that he had significantly increased his training schedule, perhaps because he couldn’t help but be concerned about the new quarterback.

While walking toward the organization cafeteria with Ian, Toby swiped his phone screen to check his schedule.

“We’ll probably participate in rookie camp once or twice too. Since it’s something shown to the outside, the team leader will go to lecture about attitudes to maintain as Wolves players, SNS guidelines, interview guides, and such. Ian, I need you to assist then. I’ll send you the materials I used before.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Hmm… There are always one or two crazy kids who come in each year, so check carefully.”

“Crazy?”

“Yeah. Players who do insane things in front of cameras…”

Toby shook his head while looking into space.

“The organization’s lawyer will give warnings too, but since the kids are young, there are always some who cause trouble.”

“But how do you know in advance?”

When Ian asked with puzzled eyes, Toby raised his index and middle fingers, pointing alternately at his eyes and the air.

“Ian. Watch carefully and trust your instincts. Not your head, but the one your senses point to. That’s the crazy one.”

Glancing sideways at Toby who seemed to shudder as if he’d encountered a proper crazy player once before, Ian roughly selected his food.

And when the two had grabbed a table and set down their trays.

“Oh, Ian. Good timing. Can I sit here?”

Felicia came to their table and asked.

“Of course!”

“Please sit, Mrs. Pearson.”

“Just Felicia is fine, Toby.”

Looking tired from being quite busy all morning, Felicia greeted Toby and took a seat between them. Thanks to that, the small round table was packed with three people.

Felicia stirred her pasta generously sprinkled with cheese powder and opened her mouth.

“I was actually planning to set up a meeting with you, Ian, but since we met, I think I could briefly tell you now. But this person…”

She glanced carefully toward Toby as if about to discuss one-way imprinting, so Ian smiled and shook his head.

“You can speak freely. Toby is my direct supervisor and knows about Terrence as much as you do, Felicia.”

“Ah, then this makes things easier. You know how this issue is a bit… you know. This secret is burning away inside my pocket.”

Felicia made an “ugh” expression while flapping her white coat pocket open with her hand.

“Oh oh, I know. I understand that feeling, Felicia. I have the same thing in my pocket!”

Toby extended his fork forward like toasting with her canned drink, agreeing intensely.

When they clinked with a cheerful “clink,” Felicia looked much more comfortable knowing that Toby was also sharing the secret. It must have been frustrating to have a problem you couldn’t tell anyone about.

Ian also felt comfortable in the relaxed atmosphere and began to open up about his recent concerns and worries.

“…That’s how it happened. It seems like Terrence doesn’t show me anything because he’s worried I’ll worry? Or maybe he really doesn’t care at all… Even though I’ve known him for a long time, I really can’t tell. Would you two believe it if I said he’s been confident the whole time since returning from the Lauren Show? I don’t know if it’s because of pride or what, but seeing him treated like that in front of the general manager yesterday made my heart…”

When he sighed deeply and confided, Felicia patted Ian’s shoulder.

“You have to understand that yourself. He’s an Alpha, right? Alphas can’t make weak complaint in front of Omegas. They think if they say such things, the world will collapse and both their balls will fall off.”

“Wow, how does someone without balls know this so well?”

When Toby joked, Felicia giggled.

“And maybe Hunt really didn’t care at all?”

“Mmm. I agree with that too.”

The guy’s personality of being just calm and straightforward without any emotion either way was famous within the organization.

“Anyway Ian. Don’t blame yourself too much. You did your best, right? It’s not like you did it on purpose, and it’s because of your health problem too, so what more could you do? One-way imprinting side effects are really troublesome originally. They can occur due to psychological problems even when pheromones aren’t lacking.”

It was advice from a wise life senior and medical expert.

“One-way imprinting subjects tend to suffer from excessive anxiety because of pheromones, and that affects their bodies too. Of course, Hunt and anxiety don’t seem like a matching combination…”

“Terrence Hunt suffering from anxiety. I can’t even imagine it?”

“Hmm… I think so too. But this is a relationship problem between lovers.”

Isn’t there something we don’t know? Felicia and Toby, who had been going back and forth, looked at Ian and shrugged together.

Then Felicia spoke to Ian.

“Oh right, speaking of that, I forgot the main point! Orders came down from above about that problem. They want us to bring in a doctor to exclusively handle Hunt right away.”

“Um, about that problem. We already have a designated doctor at Summit General Hospital and are conducting regular follow-up tests. Would it really be positive to have two dedicated physicians… Would that be okay, Felicia?”

“Ah, I know. I received the report too. But that doctor can’t leave his workplace to follow Hunt around. From the photo, he’s not young either. Isn’t he about my age?”

Ian mentally offered comfort thinking of Dr. Olsen, who was only six or seven years older than him but unfortunately looked a bit old for his age.

“Plus he’s completely a researcher, right? We need a doctor who can help immediately in the field. And I think it’s better to have roles completely divided like that.”

“I see.”

“But it’s another headache. They want us to find someone who’s a variant medicine specialist and also somewhat covers sports medicine.”

Felicia snorted as if she was troubled as the medical team leader when the general manager suddenly made such demanding requests.

“But the Lord seems to be on my and the general manager’s side. I got a call yesterday saying there happens to be such a doctor at that hospital.”

Felicia patted Ian’s back with a bright expression, saying a talent that’s not easy to find anywhere had luckily fallen from the sky. Toby also put his hand on his chest and shouted “Oh, thank you, Lord…!” in an exaggerated theatrical tone. As an organization employee and eternal Wolves fan, he seemed to feel both relief and emotion simultaneously. Ian felt similarly.

“So probably starting next month, that doctor will also commute here. He’ll go between the hospital and the organization to exclusively handle Hunt. On training or game days, he’ll work here the entire time.”

She smiled brightly, saying things proceeded very quickly because that side also readily signed the contract.

“I’ll introduce you to Ian too, so come to our office when I call you later. Got it?”

“Yes…”

Summit General Hospital, variant medicine doctor, and a young one at that.

Somehow someone came to mind.

* * *

Ian accessed a sports community after a long time.

While browsing the NFL board still full of draft fever, he clicked on a post with particularly high views. The title alone was the type you couldn’t help but click on.

Title: Wolves fans better be nervous this season

(image.gif)

See the hand shaking in the gif?

Is this how he’s gonna win MVP lolol

Just hope he doesn’t mess up games lol

↳ Ew.. first time seeing this, was it really like that?

↳ That’s harsh

↳ This seems like too malicious editing.. everything looks like that if you repeat it

↳↳ OP here, watch the original video and then talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcR7xQ9……

↳ Ah people can make mistakes sometimes

↳ Do you never spill a drop of piss and always pee well? How’s your lower situation?

↳ Looking at how you mock sick people like that shows what you grew up watching at home lol You’d have nothing to say even if you got sued. Seriously, what’s your family education level

↳↳ Did you just insult our parents?

↳↳↳ What’s with the sudden acceleration, boss

↳↳↳ lol Why did you think others couldn’t insult your parents after you viciously mocked some random guy lololol

↳ Wow but this is really serious… shouldn’t he get treatment?

↳ So many people pretending to worry while trying to talk about themselves lol The organization knows better and moves accordingly with how much he’s worth^^ Take care of your own future~ What do you see when you close your eyes? Something black? That’s your career^^

↳↳ Did I hit a nerve? My future is brighter than yours lololol

“What the heck! Damn, look at this piece of shit that wouldn’t be satisfying even if I chewed him up and spat him out!”

An unusually loud curse burst from Ian’s mouth.

Some bastard had created a GIF image file that enlarged and infinitely repeated only the part where Terrence’s hands shook on the Lauren Show. They had even sped it up to make it more exaggerated.

This was the kind of guy who wouldn’t be satisfied even with a thorough retaliatory fist massage from head to toe. Ian clenched his paper-like fists and swung them at the air in indignation. To mock a person like this.

Without realizing it, he was typing a bunch of curses in the comment section, but came to his senses, let out a big sigh, and slammed his laptop shut.

“What’s the point of all this…”

It wasn’t a new thing for idle people to put celebrities on stage and mock them. Even if Terrence himself had seen it, he would have snorted and not cared at all. He was the type who seemed indifferent to everything, as if he had no interest in anyone other than Ian.

“I can’t become the same kind of human.”

As much as he wanted to retaliate in the same way, Ian decided to stay still. In fact, for guys like these, showing them Terrence continuing to be active and the Wolves continuing to succeed would be much better revenge.

And that wasn’t just wishful thinking either.

Just yesterday, he had gone with Terrence to see Dr. Olsen for a regular checkup. The doctor looked at the results and spoke excitedly.

‘Wow, Mr. Hunt’s pheromone levels are incredibly good right now!’

‘Really?’

‘See, Ian! I told you it would work…! I said it would work!’

‘Hhup, doctor…!’

‘Ian…!’

The results were so good that intense emotion filled both their faces. They were on the verge of hugging each other in an emotional embrace like a winning athlete and coach, but Terrence twisted his lips and came between them, standing firmly and separating them, so that attempt was futilely thwarted.

He’s doing that because he doesn’t know, how hard Ian had worked with Dr. Olsen on this. If he had known about all the attempts like getting retested and removing the internal suppressant, Terrence would have joined them in a three-way group hug going round and round. Keeping it secret because he was worried doesn’t help at times like this. Ian grumbled unnecessarily while moving his mouse.

“These damn bastards. So now this kind of mockery is nothing! There are no more side effects!”

Hmph. With a snort learned from Terrence as his finale, Ian completely closed the community window. It was a triumphant declaration.

And for good reason, since Dr. Olsen had sent Terrence out first and looked at the chart again to reassure Ian who was anxious that it might just be temporary numbers.

‘Looking at the simple machine test earlier, the amount of pheromones Ian is releasing is also sufficient. Didn’t you feel it yourself? That your pheromones are coming out well like before?’

When he heard that and thought about it carefully, he really did feel much more comfortable when releasing pheromones. Since he had been hiding them tightly for nearly ten years, he couldn’t really gauge what his original pheromone release amount was, but if the doctor said so, it must be true. Ian nodded vigorously, agreeing with Dr. Olsen’s words.

‘Removing the suppressant definitely seems to have had an effect.’

‘That certainly would have helped too.’

Dr. Olsen nodded along while encouraging Ian that he was doing well now. Since psychological factors were also significant, he should continue to relax his mind like this. He said the two of them seemed to be getting along very well lately, and that part might have contributed too, so they should continue treatment this way.

It really couldn’t have been more satisfying results. Terrence had also confirmed with numbers that Ian’s pheromones weren’t lacking, and Ian himself had confirmed that his Omega pheromones were almost normalized.

“…The effects of exercising lately can’t be ignored either.”

Since then, coming to work an hour early every day to exercise definitely seemed to help his health. During exercise, he’d feel like one more set would really get him a ticket to the River Styx power tour and he’d vividly see the gates of hell, but once it was all over, he’d somehow feel refreshed and clear, thinking he’d done well to exercise.

Of course, this was entirely thanks to Terrence’s help.

Although every morning he felt like a torture victim training under a harsh instructor, constantly feeling like he was doing something wrong but not knowing what, and spending the whole hour flustered in front of him… Still, at the end his body would be completely exhausted, his limbs shaking, and he’d feel like he might collapse, so he was probably exercising properly.

Ian barely held back tears that almost came from suddenly remembering his morning exercise scenes and got up from his seat. He gathered his pad and keyboard and headed toward the team leader.

“John, it’s time. You need to move now.”

“Is it already this time? Alright, let’s go.”

He walked with the team leader, who looked as scattered as always, toward the training center building where the players were.

Headquarters after the draft was definitely bustling like before the Super Bowl.

There was also a strange kind of excitement that didn’t exist before, probably because of those new rookie players. Ian, sitting at the very back of the tiered conference room, looked at the backs of heads in front of him that weren’t moving as if concentrating.

Young players who had come to the Wolves organization through the draft and rookie contracts, who had just graduated college or were about to graduate, looked at the large projector screen with bright eyes, and the voice of John, Ian’s boss, was echoing through the speakers via microphone.

“…So, when a reporter suddenly approaches and asks for an impromptu interview, how should you respond…”

All the players looked fresh despite participating in rookie camp from early morning and listening to what must have been their umpteenth educational session. As expected from physically fit athletes.

Ian sat in the back row, sketching their appearance in short notes. He was roughly drafting an article for the rookie camp newsletter that would go up on the team’s homepage.

After writing several sentences in a row, Ian glanced at John who was giving the lecture, then carefully nudged the conditioning coach Luke next to him with his elbow to wake him up, Luke was on the verge of falling asleep.

“Huh? Ian, what?”

Ian handed a vitamin candy to Luke, who seemed to be wandering between dreams and reality, and whispered to him.

“You look tired, Luke.”

“Oh, thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

“Boring, right?”

“Well, it’s the same content I hear every year, so.”

Luke took advantage of being in the back row to stretch his arms backward.

“How are the new recruits this time?”

When Ian asked while putting a vitamin candy in his own mouth, Luke shrugged.

“Well, they’re all young and energetic, full of motivation. You know our team was the Lombardi Trophy winner last season. They’re probably sparkling thinking they’ll all get to wear a ring if things continue as they are.”

At Luke’s words, Ian thought of the championship rings given to Super Bowl champion teams.

“Some are really tense, and others are relaxed like that guy.”

Ian followed Luke’s gaze as he grinned between his mustache and beard while gesturing with his chin. At the end of his gaze was Lucas Mahelona, who had been drafted as a quarterback. With his slightly dark skin and always carrying a smile at the corner of his lips, making him look cheerful, he was an undeniably handsome man.

‘That’s probably why he became even more of a topic.’

Indeed, as Luke described, Lucas was as relaxed and energetic as he had appeared in YouTube videos and on screen during the draft.

‘His height and build are a bit smaller than Terrence’s.’

Ian squinted to observe the rookie player who needed watching.

If Terrence was a typical pocket passer type quarterback, then Lucas would probably be closer to a dual-threat type quarterback.

Anyone who had ever seen American football through video or photos would be familiar with the sight of two teams facing each other on a green field like bulls about to charge, completely bent at the waist.

Usually you can see about four or five people densely gathered in a U-shape like a trench in the center, this is the offensive line of the attacking team. It’s also called the pocket. And the role of that pocket is to protect the quarterback.

Terrence was a traditional type quarterback who displayed precise tactics and excellent leadership within this pocket. An intelligent quarterback and field commander who played one step ahead of the defense by skillfully reading the overall game and the opposing team’s defensive formation with excellent analytical skills, predicting how they would defend and passing the ball to appropriate positions.

Conversely, a dual-threat quarterback refers to a type with excellent both passing and running abilities.

As is generally true for pocket passer quarterbacks, Terrence was on the large side even for a quarterback. In contrast, Lucas was smaller in both height and build than Terrence, but enjoyed plays where he directly carried the ball and ran using his agile body.

Watching him dash through opposing defenders like a running back, galloping several yards with such lightness, gave the impression of a wild horse.

‘At least it’s fortunate that their strengths and weaknesses are clearly different…’

If they had been the same type of quarterback, Ian would have been even more anxious. As if the general manager had chosen a similar replacement for Terrence.

However, knowing they were completely different types put his mind somewhat at ease, and he could understand the general manager’s intention to prepare for situations where Terrence couldn’t play due to one-way imprinting side effects by having someone quick to catch them off guard.

Ian leaned toward Luke so as not to disturb the team leader’s education and muttered quietly.

“The general manager must have been in a hurry.”

But understanding didn’t make the upset feelings go away. Still, there was no need to publicly bring in such a popular and conspicuous player.

When Ian grumbled in an upset tone that it seemed like the general manager had intentionally created a situation that would pressure Terrence, Luke rolled the candy Ian had given him between his molars with clicking sounds and shrugged.

“Well, that guy must have been anxious too. You know who Matt Donovan’s father is, right? The legendary Wolves coach William Donovan. That’s how Matt could take the general manager position at such a young age.”

“Was the William Donovan era really that great?”

“Good Lord, you don’t know that, Ian? Ah, but you weren’t even born yet.”

Luke was surprised but immediately understood, then explained at length. How legendary a coach he was, and what a hero of Kansas City who would remain in history.

“After William Donovan left, the Wolves were on a downward trend the whole time. They completely fell into the ranks of weak teams, enough to forget there had ever been a golden age. It was really shameful.”

Luke, originally from Kansas City, seemed to not even want to remember the previous dark period as he shuddered while continuing his explanation.

“But Randy Smith, the current coach, came to the Wolves who were wearing that disgrace and gradually breathed life into them. And decisively.”

Luke suddenly straightened his back as if bragging about his own child and stroked his beard.

“Randy brought Terrence Hunt and perfectly lifted the momentum. Randy and Terrence really worked well together. Ian, you chose this job because you like football, so you know well, right? No matter how great a player is, if they don’t mesh with the coach or other team members, it’s all for nothing, right? Wow… But they achieved that exquisite combination. That’s why Randy and Terrence are being called heroes of Kansas City.”

Ian nodded and smiled proudly. The story of Terrence being a hero of this city was always immensely proud to hear.

“But young Matt Donovan pushed out the older George Manning and took the general manager position starting this year. And that was riding on his father’s reputation. There are still many fans who can’t forget William Donovan’s golden age. That’s fine up to that point, but what if he ruins everything during his term? The team isn’t even on a downward trend now, they’re at the strongest position having won the Lombardi Trophy. If he takes office and messes up next season? He probably doesn’t even want to imagine it, right? He’d have to carry an umbrella every time he goes out to eat. He’d get hit with eggs from people every day.”

Luke made exaggerated gestures as if throwing a bomb with a “whoosh” sound. Watching him, Ian shook his head in the darkness of the back row.

In his head, he was recalling his previous one-on-one encounter with Matt in the general manager’s office. Even then, the general manager had called Ian in to assess how stable their one-way imprinting would be and the exact risks of the situation, looking at him with hawk-like sharp eyes.

He probably had been preparing responses while anticipating the worst-case scenarios from the moment he heard about the imprinting.

“Still, there are scattered opinions from the coaching team that we picked a super rookie who’s ambiguous to call just a backup. Of course, it’s true that Lucas is in an awkward position to be in draft rounds 1 or 2. He’s a type that worked in college league, but well… there were also evaluations that he’s too improvisational and won’t work in the NFL. Well, we’ll have to see how the coach and general manager want to develop Lucas.”

“I see…”

In the end, it was going in circles. For now, they could only watch the situation.

After finishing all the miscellaneous tasks and coming out of the small conference room, it was quite late. Perhaps that’s why all the earlier bustle had disappeared and it was quiet. With all the rookie players having returned to their dormitories, Ian took a deep breath in the quieted corridor while shouldering his bag containing documents and laptop.

“I can definitely smell pheromones…”

Wolves Headquarters was divided between the Wolves Training Facility building used by players and the administrative building used by front office staff. However, for Ian, who as a low-level communication team member frequently went back and forth to the training center, this was somewhat unfamiliar.

It was a sensation he hadn’t perceived before, to the degree that he wondered if Alpha pheromone scents had always lingered in the air like this.

He could definitely feel that his body hadn’t been normal, and that it was gradually returning to normal after removing the internal suppressant.

Now Ian felt he could perfectly understand Terrence’s reproach when he frowned at Ian moving around defenseless among the players. To think it had been so full of Alpha scents. Only he hadn’t realized it. His boyfriend certainly had reason to worry.

“Anyway, it’s good that my body is returning to normal…”

Muttering to himself, he moved his steps busily. More than anything else, he should be grateful for just the one figure showing that Terrence wasn’t experiencing pheromone deficiency.